Genesis 14:19 so he blessed him with these words:
“Blessed be Avram by El ‘Elyon,
maker of heaven of earth.
20 and blessed be El ‘Elyon,
who handed your enemies over to you.”
Avram gave him a tenth of everything.
28:16 Ya‘akov awoke from his sleep and said, “Truly, Adonai is in this place — and I didn’t know it!” 17 Then he became afraid and said, “This place is fearsome! This has to be the house of God! This is the gate of heaven!” 18 Ya‘akov got up early in the morning, took the stone he had put under his head, set it up as a standing-stone, poured olive oil on its top 19 and named the place Beit-El [house of God]; but the town had originally been called Luz.
20 Ya‘akov took this vow: “If God will be with me and will guard me on this road that I am traveling, giving me bread to eat and clothes to wear, 21 so that I return to my father’s house in peace, then Adonai will be my God; 22 and this stone, which I have set up as a standing-stone, will be God’s house; and of everything you give me, I will faithfully return one-tenth to you.”
Malachi 3:7 Since the days of your forefathers
you have turned from my laws and have not kept them.
Return to me, and I will return to you,”
says Adonai-Tzva’ot.
“But you ask, ‘In respect to what
are we supposed to return?’
8 Can a person rob God?
Yet you rob me.
But you ask, ‘How have we robbed you?’
In tenths and voluntary contributions.
9 A curse is on you, on your whole nation,
because you rob me.
10 Bring the whole tenth into the storehouse,
so that there will be food in my house,
and put me to the test,”
says Adonai-Tzva’ot.
“See if I won’t open for you
the floodgates of heaven
and pour out for you a blessing
far beyond your needs.
-------
The idea of giving one-tenth of our increase to God (it’s often called by the older English word “tithe”) didn’t start in a church finance office. Genesis said Abraham and Jacob his grandson responded to God’s presence in their lives by giving back one-tenth to God in ways that fit their time and place. After Israel’s return from exile in Babylon, the prophet Malachi said that
Israelites who clung to all their resources were “robbing God.”
Israel was a largely agricultural society. Their resources were mainly livestock and crops. They didn’t have checking accounts, credit cards or 401K balances. Does our situation today make it easier or harder to decide what percentage of our increase we choose to give to causes that honor God? In what ways does giving as a percentage of income, rather than as a flat amount, create greater fairness in how the range of people who make up the “body of Christ” support God’s work?
Prayer: Loving God, thank you for the strength, abilities and ingenuity you have given me. Help me to recognize you, thank you and give back to you from the money and goods I have in my life. Amen.
-------
Insights from Randy Greene
“Blessed be Avram by El ‘Elyon,
maker of heaven of earth.
20 and blessed be El ‘Elyon,
who handed your enemies over to you.”
Avram gave him a tenth of everything.
28:16 Ya‘akov awoke from his sleep and said, “Truly, Adonai is in this place — and I didn’t know it!” 17 Then he became afraid and said, “This place is fearsome! This has to be the house of God! This is the gate of heaven!” 18 Ya‘akov got up early in the morning, took the stone he had put under his head, set it up as a standing-stone, poured olive oil on its top 19 and named the place Beit-El [house of God]; but the town had originally been called Luz.
20 Ya‘akov took this vow: “If God will be with me and will guard me on this road that I am traveling, giving me bread to eat and clothes to wear, 21 so that I return to my father’s house in peace, then Adonai will be my God; 22 and this stone, which I have set up as a standing-stone, will be God’s house; and of everything you give me, I will faithfully return one-tenth to you.”
Malachi 3:7 Since the days of your forefathers
you have turned from my laws and have not kept them.
Return to me, and I will return to you,”
says Adonai-Tzva’ot.
“But you ask, ‘In respect to what
are we supposed to return?’
8 Can a person rob God?
Yet you rob me.
But you ask, ‘How have we robbed you?’
In tenths and voluntary contributions.
9 A curse is on you, on your whole nation,
because you rob me.
10 Bring the whole tenth into the storehouse,
so that there will be food in my house,
and put me to the test,”
says Adonai-Tzva’ot.
“See if I won’t open for you
the floodgates of heaven
and pour out for you a blessing
far beyond your needs.
-------
The idea of giving one-tenth of our increase to God (it’s often called by the older English word “tithe”) didn’t start in a church finance office. Genesis said Abraham and Jacob his grandson responded to God’s presence in their lives by giving back one-tenth to God in ways that fit their time and place. After Israel’s return from exile in Babylon, the prophet Malachi said that
Israelites who clung to all their resources were “robbing God.”
Israel was a largely agricultural society. Their resources were mainly livestock and crops. They didn’t have checking accounts, credit cards or 401K balances. Does our situation today make it easier or harder to decide what percentage of our increase we choose to give to causes that honor God? In what ways does giving as a percentage of income, rather than as a flat amount, create greater fairness in how the range of people who make up the “body of Christ” support God’s work?
- Giving one-tenth was a guideline, not a law. But passages like Deuteronomy 15:7-11 and Proverbs 11:23-28 also make it clear that one-tenth was meant more as a floor for giving than as a ceiling. It was important in moving God’s people toward a good life because it made the principle of generosity concrete. Do your financial records, whatever the specific amounts or percentages involved, bear clear witness to your faith and commitment to God?
Prayer: Loving God, thank you for the strength, abilities and ingenuity you have given me. Help me to recognize you, thank you and give back to you from the money and goods I have in my life. Amen.
-------
Insights from Randy Greene
Randy Greene is a part of the Communications team at the Church of the Resurrection. He helps develop and maintain the church’s family of websites. When he’s not at the church, he loves to write on his blog and reads a wide variety of books.I have never really not tithed. Ever since I was a little kid, I remember that my parents would give me my allowance each Sunday morning (one dollar for each year of my age) and expect me to immediately place at least a tenth of it in the offering plate at church. As a child, I participated simply because I knew nothing else. As I grew up and began working and managing my own finances, though, I was faced with the decision of whether I should continue this practice or abandon it.
Besides the occasional negligent lapse, my wife and I have maintained the giving of 10% of our income throughout our lives, and it’s been a very important part of our relationship with God. As we discussed Pastor Adam’s message this past Sunday, we reflected on why we have been so committed to giving. Was it a rote habit from our youth, or was it something we actually embraced as adults?
By the end of our conversation, we’d concluded that, for us, setting aside the tithe is an act of self-discipline. We tithe in the same way that we might exercise: it’s not always easy and it’s sometimes even painful, but it is a good habit to develop and ultimately it shapes us into becoming more healthy and holistic humans. It establishes a routine by which we are able to consistently give back to support the Church that pours so much into us. In addition, by committing the first of our resources to God, we are forced to more closely consider how we’re managing the other 90% of our income. We have to watch our finances closely to make sure we’re continually living within the portion remaining after we’ve given back to God.
In a very real way, tithing compels us to place our hope in Christ. As a spiritual discipline, it challenges us to live simply and abandon our innate desire to spend frivolously. It reminds us that the Kingdom of God is not found in money or possessions (as the world around us suggests) but, as Micah 6:8 says, in doing justice, living with compassion, and walking in humility with God.-------
“One’s life isn’t determined by one’s possessions” for Wednesday, 19 October 2016
Luke 12:13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Rabbi, tell my brother to share with me the property we inherited.” 14 But Yeshua answered him, “My friend, who appointed me judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 Then to the people he said, “Be careful to guard against all forms of greed, because even if someone is rich, his life does not consist in what he owns.” 16 And he gave them this illustration: “There was a man whose land was very productive. 17 He debated with himself, ‘What should I do? I haven’t enough room for all my crops.’ 18 Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and I’ll store all my wheat and other goods there. 19 Then I’ll say to myself, “You’re a lucky man! You have a big supply of goods laid up that will last many years. Start taking it easy! Eat! Drink! Enjoy yourself!”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night you will die! And the things you prepared — whose will they be?’ 21 That’s how it is with anyone who stores up wealth for himself without being rich toward God.”
-------
A man quarreling with his brother over an inheritance triggered Jesus’ telling of this short but haunting story. A rich farmer reaping a large crop, he said, thought about nothing but how to keep it all, adding it to his already overflowing food and wealth. Fixated on his worldly fortune, he forgot that none of it would do him any good when his earthly life ended. Jesus knew better,
and urged his hearers to become “rich toward God.”
- Picture the well-to-do farmer in this parable (or someone you know who’s like him) saying, “My life seems kind of hollow. I’ve got more wealth stashed away than I’ll ever need. But I’d like to find more fulfillment, more meaning in my life. Got any ideas?” How would you answer? What might that person (or any person) do to become “rich toward God”? In what ways are you seeking to build that kind of eternal wealth?
- Interestingly, one option never seemed to occur to the man in Jesus’ story. He never said anything like, “I’ve got plenty” (perhaps because he didn’t feel as though he had quite “enough” yet). “I think I’ll give some of it away.” How easy or hard is it for you to be generous with money, time or other “stuff” you have? What experiences or examples have helped you find the freedom of living more generously?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I want to be rich— “rich toward God,” that is. Please shape my heart and my choices in ways that will continue to lead me to that kind of life. Amen.
-------
-------
"Generosity: more than just money" for Thursday, 20 October 2016
Luke 14:7 When Yeshua noticed how the guests were choosing for themselves the best seats at the table, he told them this parable: 8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, don’t sit down in the best seat; because if there is someone more important than you who has been invited, 9 the person who invited both of you might come and say to you, ‘Give this man your place.’ Then you will be humiliated as you go to take the least important place. 10 Instead, when you are invited, go and sit in the least important place; so that when the one who invited you comes, he will say to you, ‘Go on up to a better seat.’ Then you will be honored in front of everyone sitting with you. 11 Because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but everyone who humbles himself will be exalted.”
12 Yeshua also said to the one who had invited him, “When you give a lunch or a dinner, don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives or rich neighbors; for they may well invite you in return, and that will be your repayment. 13 Instead, when you have a party, invite poor people, disfigured people, the crippled, the blind! 14 How blessed you will be that they have nothing with which to repay you! For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Philippians 2:5 Let your attitude toward one another be governed by your being in union with the Messiah Yeshua:
6 Though he was in the form of God,
he did not regard equality with God
something to be possessed by force.
7 On the contrary, he emptied himself,
in that he took the form of a slave
by becoming like human beings are.
And when he appeared as a human being,
8 he humbled himself still more
by becoming obedient even to death —
death on a stake as a criminal!
9 Therefore God raised him to the highest place
and gave him the name above every name;
10 that in honor of the name given Yeshua,
every knee will bow —
in heaven, on earth and under the earth —
11 and every tongue will acknowledge[
Philippians 2:11 Isaiah 45:23]
that Yeshua the Messiah is Adonai —
to the glory of God the Father.
-------
For Jesus, generosity was not just about giving money. It was an attitude that touched all of life. In Luke 14, he wasn’t giving advice on a clever way to make yourself look good to others. Consistent with all of his life and teaching, he urged people to avoid selfishly pushing for their own recognition and advantage, to leave room for honoring others. Paul quoted an early Christian hymn to the Philippians that said Jesus built his life on values at odds with much of his (and our) culture.
- Have you ever known (or maybe even been) a person like the ones Jesus noticed who “sought out the best seats at the table”? In what ways can that attitude show itself in school, games, the workplace, even church work? What’s the difference between healthy assertiveness, so that you can use your gifts to bless others, and the kind of self-promotion Jesus warned against?
- Think about ads you’ve seen or heard in the last week that use phrases like “you deserve it,” “you’re worth it,” and so on. The early Christian hymn Paul quoted said Jesus “emptied himself” (verse 7). How did Jesus’ values differ from the ones Rome and Greece (and much of 21st-century America) thought make for a good, “successful” life? In the light of history, do you believe Jesus was well-meaning but naïve—or was he right?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, you have honored me by loving, redeeming and accepting me. Help me
keep growing in my ability to extend that same kind of generosity to others. Amen.
-------
-------
"Jesus came to serve, not to be served" for Friday, 21 October 2016
Matthew 20:20 Then Zavdai’s sons came to Yeshua with their mother. She bowed down, begging a favor from him. 21 He said to her, “What do you want?” She replied, “Promise that when you become king, these two sons of mine may sit, one on your right and the other on your left.” 22 But Yeshua answered, “You people don’t know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to him, “We can.” 23 He said to them, “Yes, you will drink my cup. But to sit on my right and on my left is not mine to give, it is for those for whom my Father has prepared it.”
24 Now when the other ten heard about this, they were outraged at the two brothers. 25 But Yeshua called them and said, “You know that among the Goyim, those who are supposed to rule them become tyrants, and their superiors become dictators. 26 Among you, it must not be like that. On the contrary, whoever among you wants to be a leader must become your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave! 28 For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve — and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
-------
Jesus kept talking about the Kingdom of heaven, his Kingdom. Weren’t “kingdoms” about
power, about who held the most powerful positions? James and John (and probably their
mom, though Mark didn’t mention her in Mark 10:35-45) thought they’d be smart, and make
their bid for power before the other disciples. “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. In Heaven’s Kingdom, there is no status seeking. In my Kingdom, we serve.
- We know (as James and John did) what earthly importance, power and privilege look like. Down deep, most of us would like to have at least some of those things. But Jesus’ teaching was clear: “that’s not the way it will be with you.” Jesus said he didn’t come to be served, but to serve, and even give his life. In what specific ways does choosing to follow Jesus change your approach to life?
- Jesus told James and John, “You WILL drink from my cup.” James was the first apostle martyred (Acts 12:2). On the other hand, Christian tradition said John, serving and writing, lived for many years, probably longer than any other apostle. In what ways did John, as well as James, “drink from Jesus’ cup”? In what ways, if any, has your life so far called on you to do that?
Prayer: Loving Lord, I’m human. Sometimes I have ambitious dreams and wishes. Keep
reshaping me, making those ambitions into ambitions to serve you and others. Amen.
-------
-------
"Jesus knew: serving others produces ;life to the fullest'” for Saturday, 22 October 2016
John 10:7 So Yeshua said to them again, “Yes, indeed! I tell you that I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All those who have come before me have been thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. 9 I am the gate; if someone enters through me, he will be safe and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only in order to steal, kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, life in its fullest measure.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, since he isn’t a shepherd and the sheep aren’t his own, sees the wolf coming, abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf drags them off and scatters them. 13 The hired worker behaves like this because that’s all he is, a hired worker; so it doesn’t matter to him what happens to the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; I know my own, and my own know me — 15 just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father — and I lay down my life on behalf of the sheep.
-------
Shepherds occupied one of the lowest social rungs in Jesus’ day. So Jesus chose a rather
daring metaphor when he called himself “the good shepherd.” But his words strongly echoed
those of the prophet Ezekiel (cf. Ezekiel 34:1-16) in which God promised Israel that he would shepherd them himself. Jesus came as “the good shepherd” who would safely guide and protect all who trusted him. He offered them life to the fullest. And, as a good shepherd, he found the deepest meaning and joy for his own life by leading his flock safely and well.
- “I am the good shepherd” is, of course, a metaphor. Based on what you know about shepherds, in what ways is Jesus most like a shepherd? Sheep aren’t capable of caring for themselves—they have to trust their shepherd for well-being and safety. But humans aren’t sheep—we have to choose to trust. What influences and experiences have moved you toward trusting Jesus to be your shepherd? When have you experienced Jesus as your shepherd? In what ways do you most need him to shepherd you today?
Prayer: Dear Jesus, I choose to trust you to be my shepherd. Shelter me, care for me and
guide me to the truly good life—a life lived by your direction and in your love. Amen.
Family Activity: Create a family giving chain. Cut several sheets of colored construction paper into strips. Every week, give each family member one strip of paper. Have each person write his or her name on the paper strip and one way he or she served or gave to others that week. In addition to giving time or energy, also include ways your family is giving money to church and others. Form the first slip into a circle and staple or tape the ends together, then add to that circle by connecting the strips together to create a chain. At the end of each month, review the acts of giving your family has shared in. Thank God for the privilege of giving to God and to others.
-------
-------
Prayer Requests – cor.org/prayer
Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:
Prayer Requests – request cards are in the attendance notebooks or visit cor.org/prayer
Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:
-------
Prayer Requests – cor.org/prayer
Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:
Prayer Requests – request cards are in the attendance notebooks or visit cor.org/prayer
Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:
- Caroline Lundberg and family on the death of her husband Tom Lundberg, 10/7
- Linda Metzger and family on the death of her sister Vicki Lambrecht Davis, 10/7
- Janet Roberts and family on the death of her husband Dave Roberts, 10/6
- Terry Jackson and family on the death of her husband Rick Jackson, 10/6
- Steve Foster and family on the death of his brother Michael Foster, 10/6
- Anita Conrad and family on the death of her aunt Marie Marcum, 10/5
- Ann Alexander and family on the death of her father Jay R. Warner, 10/5
- Marc Paulson and family on the death of his grandmother Verna Paulson, 10/4
- Randy Wolverton and family on the death of his father Ed Wolverton, 10/3
- Deb Walz and family on the death of her mother Lisbeth “Becky” Hosfield, 10/2
- Arlene Avery and family on the death of her mother Frances Avery, 9/23
- Tracy Howell and family on the death of his brother Jeff L. Howell, 9/2
Download the GPS App
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
913.897.0120
-------
No comments:
Post a Comment